Welcome to

This blog was started in February 2007 for documenting the shaping of my freestyle kayak (most of it is in french, except a summary in german). Pani Piyo! is the name of the kayak and means drink water! in Hindi, one of the main languages in northern India .

But the blog is not only about kayak, and you can browse through the categories: "Overland to India 2007-2008", "Pani piyo 2008" for informations on building a kayak with vacuum bagging (in French or German), "Building a paddle", "Wood - Carpentry", or "Miscellaneous".

You'll find texts in English, French and German. I'm sorry for this melting pot, but it is quite tricky for me as a french living in Austria to find the right language...

Ghulam Ali - Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa
Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa, Thodi Si Jo Pii Lii Hai Daakaa Toh Nahin Daalaa Chori Toh Nahi Kii Hai Naa Tajurbakaari Se Vaaiz Kii Ye Baatein Hai Is Rang Ko Kyaa Jaane Puchho Toh Kabhi Pii Hai Us Mein Se Nahi Matlab, Dil Jis se Hai Begaanaa Maqasudd Hai Us Main Se Dil Hii Mein Jo Khinchati Hai Vaa Dil Mein Ki Sadame Do Yaa Kee Mein Ke Sab Sah Lo Unkaa Bhi Ajab Dil Hai Mera Bhi Ajab Jii Hai Har Zarra Chamaktaa Hai Anwar-e-Ilaahi Se Har Saans Ye Kehati Hai Hum Hai To Khuda Bhi Hai Suraj Mein Lage Dhabba Fitrat ke Karishme hai Boot Hum Jo Kahi Kaafir Allah Ke Marzi Hai
Publié dans : Miscellaneous
Dimanche 2 janvier 2011 7 02 /01 /Jan /2011 23:13
Cloth diapers and paternity leave

Since the birth of Raphael 2 months ago, we've been using mainly cloth diapers instead of disposable ones. There are different types of cloth diapers but we use mainly flat ones, the most simple type. Here is a short how-to manual for folding and swaddling, with a few step-by-step pictures. First, fold the cloth in the middle: Second, take one of the corners and bring it to the other side, thereby shaping a triangle: Third, after turning the cloth upside down, you can fold the rest as shown in the picture: Above the cloth we use a thin disposable fleece which can be purchased in […]
Publié dans : Miscellaneous
Lundi 13 décembre 2010 1 13 /12 /Déc /2010 22:23
The narrow path of science
"The optimal intention of scientists is to be critical but not rigid and at the same time open but not credulous" H. Pietschmann (2005). Scientific conflicts. Conflict over water UFOs driven by alien visiting earth, homeopathy, memory of water, extrasensory perception, illumination and Nirvana... where science does not have a solid explanation to offer, phenomena are often considered charlatanry. I don't intend to discuss these topics in detail, and even less to prove anything. My intention here is to provide a nudge or incentive for more seriously considering phenomena which can not yet […]
Publié dans : Miscellaneous
Samedi 13 novembre 2010 6 13 /11 /Nov /2010 15:32
A loft bed for the family!

During the past few years, building loft beds did not only become a hobby for me, it is also necessary for living in a mini flat which resembles more and more a sailing ship. We will get a child in September, which is a good occasion to build a new bed, one where there is also place for a baby mattress! First, a photo of our good old tree-bed which we demounted with a lot of nostalgia... ... then we started installing the new family loft bed (2m10 * 2m90): Here is a try to give a global view of it: Now there are hooks for hanging hammocks: How to climb on the bed? - The long story of the […]
Publié dans : Wood - Carpentry
Jeudi 12 août 2010 4 12 /08 /Août /2010 11:30
Empty tomatoes

I mentioned in a previous article that slugs are a nasty pest in our garden... Here the proof: The garden is far away from where we live, and because we had no time to take care of them the tomatoes grew too close to the soil where the slugs are.
Publié dans : Miscellaneous
Dimanche 8 août 2010 7 08 /08 /Août /2010 20:59
Bicycles in Amsterdam

While visiting the Netherlands, one of the most amazing things for me were the few hundred thousands of bicycles in Amsterdam. First, there are giant parkplaces but generally there are bicycles chained everywhere... there are familybikes... lying bikes... the broken ones which are often abandonned... and also more modest ones which simply have a good style...
Publié dans : Miscellaneous
Lundi 26 juillet 2010 1 26 /07 /Juil /2010 21:55
Big Wave in Amstetten

This wave on the Ybbs in Amstetten (Austria) only appears at high water level (350 to 500 cm at the station "Opponitz", see www.kajak.at in Flussinfo>Online Pegel>Niederösterreich). After the heavy rains yesterday, there has been a lot of water during the evening and the night. Today the water level was already quickly dropping: I paddled between 11:00 (with 330 cm) and 13:30 (with only 300 cm). At the end it was very difficult to catch the wave, except maybe with old school freestyle boats ;-) The locals told that with the optimal water level it is easy to enter the wave from the […]
Publié dans : Kayak en Autriche
Jeudi 3 juin 2010 4 03 /06 /Juin /2010 23:36
Stern stall

A session of flatwater training on a lake near Vienna. Good for the balance... Although sometimes eskimo roll without paddle doesn't work...
Publié dans : Miscellaneous
Mercredi 2 juin 2010 3 02 /06 /Juin /2010 23:48
Garden 2010: No-till maize trial & other experiments

This year we will probably be in Vienna for a large part of the summer, and we've just found a community garden for growing some vegetables. But because I am interested in agriculture and not only in gardening, I started an experiment with maize in a no-till system. No-till consists in growing crops without plowing the soil, and keeping a mulch at the soil surface. It gained popularity in conventional farming where herbicides can be used instead of tillage for controlling weeds, but it is still marginal in organic agriculture. 24-25 April 2010: Despite the no-till ideals of not touching […]
Publié dans : Miscellaneous
Vendredi 14 mai 2010 5 14 /05 /Mai /2010 21:03
Videos sur l'agriculture sans labour

Voila quelques videos sur l'agriculture sans labour. Sans commentaire, elles parlent d'elles memes:
Publié dans : Miscellaneous
Mardi 20 avril 2010 2 20 /04 /Avr /2010 20:37
Strawberry juce for all

It is often a difficult question when you are invited: what do I bring to my hosts...? Here is a new strategy that I started using. I go to my local supermarket, preferably after it has closed, and find the garbage where the unsold goods are disposed of. Believe me or not, this garbage may contain enough to feed all the guests, and often even more! Yesterday, for preparing easter I had the luck to find an amazing quantity of strawberries + some bananas, and I prepared a juice which was a real hit. Here the fruits, still in the original packaging. That's all what I could take with me, […]
Publié dans : Miscellaneous
Dimanche 4 avril 2010 7 04 /04 /Avr /2010 20:07
"Dirt! The movie": a tribute to soil conservation

The movie "Dirt!" deals with one of the most important things on this world: soil fertility and soil conservation. It was inspited by William Bryant Logan's book "Dirt! The Ecstatic Skin of the Earth" http://www.dirtthemovie.org/ Another book by David R. Montgomery (2007): "Dirt: the Erosion of civilisations" also deals with the subject:
Publié dans : Miscellaneous
Mardi 16 mars 2010 2 16 /03 /Mars /2010 20:44
Toilettes sèches... pas encore chez moi malheureusement...
Ca fait bien longtemps que je m'interesse aux toilettes seches, surtout depuis la lecture des travaux de Joseph Orszagh que l'on peut lire maintenant sur son site Eautarcie. Je ne vais pas m'etendre sur les economies d'eau qui sont evidentes, mais il y a d'autres enjeux liés au recyclage des matieres fecales. Il faut considerer que les humains sont le point final de la chaine alimentaire agricole, et que nos dechets (et les nutriments qu'ils contiennent, comme l'azote ou le phosphore) finissent souvent dans des boues d'epuration qui ne sont pas les bienvenues sur les champs agricoles a […]
Publié dans : Miscellaneous
Jeudi 25 février 2010 4 25 /02 /Fév /2010 18:04
The rolling duck
Mona made a running / rolling duck for her nephew's birthday (1 year old on the 5th of January 2010):
Publié dans : Miscellaneous
Jeudi 7 janvier 2010 4 07 /01 /Jan /2010 00:20
Mezzanine / Loft bed

This month (August 2009), we decided to learn how to use the woodworking machine of my grandfather in Toulouse. There was enough wood in the workshop to build the mezzanine we had planned. First, some of the raw wood. Most of it were beautiful oak pieces which had been stored here for more than 50 years: Sawing and planing: Gluing:: And preparing the connections: To be continued... it's not finished yet, and we'll have to go on working next year.
Publié dans : Wood - Carpentry
Mardi 1 septembre 2009 2 01 /09 /Sep /2009 10:28
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